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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26741404">The Burden of Truth</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/jordypordy/pseuds/jordypordy'>jordypordy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NieR: Automata (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Bittersweet Ending, Canon Divergence, Developing Relationship, Eventual Smut, Eventual Triggering Subjects, F/M, Graphic depictions of robo gore, Heavy Themes, Mental Illness, Multiple Endings, OC Supporting Characters, Occasional fluff, Slow Burn, Triggering subjects include suicide self harm and abusive relationships among side characters, Unhappy Ending, trigger warnings will be at the start of chapters</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 10:54:40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,783</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26741404</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/jordypordy/pseuds/jordypordy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Under normal circumstances, 9S should be dead. He discovered the truth about humanity and thusly, should have been struck down. But the Commander has other ideas. Just this once, for the sake of data collection in an immoral experiment, he will be allowed to live. </p><p>What starts out as a second chance on life spirals out of 2B's and 9S' control as the unspeakable truth gnaws away at him, bit by bit.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>2B/9S (NieR: Automata)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Thank you to Kilo for proofreading and pointing out my silly mistakes and to MeetTheTank, patron saint of robo gore, for helping me improve my own.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>His blood splattered the ground; a morbid painting of crimson as he stumbled forward. </p><p>The android’s mouth opened, an unnatural sound escaping his lips as he gripped the blade of his executioner's sword. Gurgling and sputtering as he clung to life, 9S’ lips moved. What he said, though, was lost on her. The pounding in her head, her ears, her entire body drowned out his feeble final noises.</p><p>She thought it was her name that he said. Withdrawing her weapon from his now limp body, she chose to ignore her suspicion. His corpse fell, a sickening crunch of metal reverberating around her as his frame hit the ground. Bile rose in 2B’s throat as she looked at her handiwork, noticing how his blood stained his hair a deep red.</p><p>2B’s pod droned next to her, its monotone voice confirming that his black box was offline. Mechanically, having done this dozens of times before, she requested to be patched into the Bunker. Her job was done, it was time to report in.</p><p>The conversations she had with the Commander were always brief, stiff and formal. The target was dead; return to the Bunker and report to her directly. It was the same conversation every time.</p><p>Pod 042 suggested they leave, but the damn pounding in her head was so intense she barely heard it. </p><p>Kneeling down next to her partner, she was glad that she couldn’t see his glossed over eyes under his visor. 2B cupped his cheek- now cold to the touch- and turned his head to look at her. She wished there was something she could do. Bring him back to the Bunker, have him repaired that way. Anything other than leaving him like this. It was humiliating and she hated being forced to leave his body to waste away.</p><p>How many times had she had these exact thoughts, she wondered. How many times had she killed him, she wondered. It was torturous to her that she had lost count. It was a vow to herself she had broken- to never forget any of the 9S’s she met.</p><p>Easy to make that promise.</p><p>Her hand was still on his cheek, she realized. Clenching her fist, 2B struggled to pull it away. Even in death, she was reluctant to leave his side. It would be morbidly romantic, if she hadn’t been the one to snuff his life out.</p><p>What sort of things was the Commander hiding where she had to kill him over and over? Was it worth it? To see her suffer every time? Try as she might to hide her emotions, she knew she wasn’t infallible. Commander White had to know.</p><p>Maybe this cycle of pain was punishment for something. By the Commander or the universe or God himself, surely 2B deserved this. That is what she had convinced herself of by this point.</p><p>She deserved it maybe, but not 9S. He never deserved it, not once. </p><p>Tears welled in her eyes. Emotions are prohibited. This rule had become a mantra to her, repeated thousands of times by this point. Every time she met him, she would say the phrase over and over to herself thinking that maybe that <em> this </em>time things will be different.</p><p>But every time, every damn time, he managed to get through her barriers. Little by little, day by day, 9S stripped her protections down and got close to her. Every time they met, she would fall for him. Every time they met, she knew they would have to say goodbye by way of the sword. She knew her heart would break- shatter into a million pieces when the kill order came because she had slipped up <em> again </em> and let him close.</p><p>2B’s cries echoed around her as she cursed at God, knowing she and 9S will forever be locked in this cycle of death and reunion. An eternity of pain and heartbreak is all her future held for her, no matter how desperately she prayed for some sort of release.</p><p> And there was nothing she could do to stop it.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>9S’ footsteps echoed in his room, bouncing off the pristine walls in a steady rhythm. How long he had been pacing in the small dwelling, he wasn’t sure. Minutes? Hours? Time had no meaning when one’s brain was racing at the speed his was.</p><p>The conclusion he was coming to didn’t make any sense. But, paradoxically, it’s the only one that <em> does </em>make sense.</p><p>“How could the Council of Humanity have been created by YoRHa,” he said for probably the 20th time to Pod 153, “if YoRHa is supposed to be responsible for humanity’s protection?”</p><p>Coming to a stop in front of his bed, he grasped his head in his hands and fell backwards onto the mattress. The soft embrace relaxed him only for a moment as he finally accepted the implications of the confidential files.</p><p>“Does… does humanity even exist anymore?” He groaned into his palms. That’s the only logical conclusion. But then why are they fighting? Why does YoRHa exist if not to protect their creators? Was the entire war pointless? Was his <em> life </em>pointless?</p><p>He lowered his hands to his side. Oh god. How was he going to tell 2B? Was <em> her </em>life pointless? She probably wouldn’t even believe him and strike him down, thinking he was infected by a logic virus or something. But she still deserved to know, didn’t she? Even if she didn’t believe him and killed him, would it matter? It’s not like his life was meaningful anyway, now that he had nothing to fight for.</p><p>But no, his life wasn’t meaningless. The anxieties in his heart wavered, and he found himself circling around to thinking of the time he would spend with 2B. It was the little moments that made his pulse race and her small smiles that made his face heat up. Memories of days spent fishing in the ever present sun flashed before his eyes. The existential despair that had encroached him began to dissipate as other memories of her and him together, other reasons to live, he realized, came to him. </p><p>Even if humanity was gone, 2B would be worth living for.</p><p>“Mail delivery from Command.” Pod 153’s chime ripped him out of his daydreams. </p><p>“C-Command?” He stuttered, sitting up. “What would Command want with me?”</p><p>“Hypothesis: The Commander wishes to speak with you about your unauthorized access to restricted files.” His pod answered.</p><p>Walking over to the terminal, he groaned again. “That’s what they call a hypothetical question, pod.” He booted up the computer screen and nervously navigated its menus. Yep, there it was- an email from Commander White. Gulping, he clicked it open.</p><p>
  <em> 9S, I need you to see me in my office at once. I understand you are not stationed today and are currently on the Bunker. I expect to see you soon. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> -The Commander </em>
</p><p>“I’m dead. The Commander is going to kill me.” He sighed, shutting his terminal down. The words had meant to be funny in some sort of dry way, a defensive mechanism to help him calm down. Forcing himself to laugh, he realized it wasn’t working. She <em> was </em>going to kill him, he was sure of it. He desperately tried to convince himself that he was okay with this and that death was always inevitable. But he couldn’t.</p><p>He was absolutely terrified of the Commander and what she was going to do to him.</p><p>His feet felt heavy as he conducted his march of death towards Command’s private quarters. A place that most YoRHA soldiers would never even be permitted to glance into, if it was under any other circumstance 9S would have felt honored and giddy to be in such a secretive part of the Bunker. But, as he trudged through the sterile white hallways he knew only doom and despair waited for him at his destination. </p><p>The trek to Commander White’s office took him past 2B’s room. He stopped for a moment, standing in front of its closed door as an uncomfortable tightness gripped at his chest. Would they ever see each other again after this? Idly, he wondered what the Commander would tell 2B if she were to kill him today. Would 2B be told he was a traitor? If that’s what she was told, would she go on living hating him? 2B hating him is a fate worse than death, he concluded.</p><p>“I’m sorry, 2B.” He whimpered, pushing aside the urge to enter her room. There was no point. If she was in there, what would he do? Explain that he was probably being tried as a traitor with the Commander as the judge, jury and executioner? Knowing 2B, she probably would insist she accompany him and protest his innocence. The mental image of 2B standing in front of Commander White defending him with a raised voice put a small smile as his face as he turned away from her abode. </p><p>9S’ head, which was usually running a mile a minute with thoughts, data and analysis, was empty and silent as the expanse of space that the Bunker floated in as he approached the door to the Commander’s office. Adorned with her own personal emblem of sorts, everyone in YoRHa was preprogrammed to know exactly where it was even if they had never been there before. </p><p>The doors opened before him, and he stepped inside.</p><p>Commander White lifted her head, having been going over some recently collected combat data as she sat at her desk. She wasn’t surprised to see YoRHa No. 9 Type S approaching her, but she was surprised to see how small he seemed. Of course, Scanner units were small by design but he seemed even smaller than usual somehow. Perhaps it was the fear that she could feel radiating off of him that gave her this impression.</p><p>He came to a stop in front of her desk and rose his hand to his chest in a salute. “G-glory to m-mankind, Commander.” The greeting, something he had said hundreds of times, tangled on 9S’ tongue and he resented that he stuttered it. It was an empty greeting, now knowing the truth of it all, but it was a sacred oath among YoRHa members. Messing it up, especially seeing as this would probably be the last time he would ever say it, was embarrassing. </p><p>“At ease, soldier.” Commander White mimicked the movement, but not the saying. 9S’ arm fell to his side, but he was still as rigid as a ruler. She closed out of the menu she was in on her holo-terminal and met his covered gaze. “I assume you know why I’ve summoned you here.” Wordlessly, he nodded.</p><p>Her voice took on an edge as she continued to speak. “Accessing those files is tantamount to treason.” Pulling up another holo-terminal, 9S gritted his teeth as his profile appeared in front of him. It contained all his information- vitals, model information, black box status, personal IP address and so much more. He watched motionless as the Commander tapped some options, navigating further into his personal file. “With one press of a button,” she hovered over an option that read <b>ERASE ALL DATA</b> , “I could end your life where you stand. In fact, I <em> should </em>do that.”</p><p>“Y-yes. I understand that, Commander.” There it was. She <em> was </em>going to kill him. “I accept this as punishment for my actions.”</p><p>“But,” 9S was shocked as she closed out his file, “luckily for you, I will not be doing that.”</p><p>He took a step back in shock before regaining his composure. Surely she must be mistaken. “I’m sorry, what?” Was all he could muster.</p><p>She had been expecting this reaction. White had figured he would be expecting death and under most circumstances he would be correct. The kill order would have been issued to 2B and he would have been dead and memories erased by the end of the day. Yes, he should be shot down where he stood for treason. But for today, he would be allowed to continue living. </p><p>“Is there a problem with that, 9S?” She raised an eyebrow, feigning confusion.</p><p>“No!” He nearly shouted the word before calming down. “I’m just--”</p><p>He couldn't get a read on her and it was worrying him. Scanners specialized in, among other things, sizing up enemies in a second and being able to pinpoint their weakness before they were even aware they existed. In front of him stood his enemy; one of immense power, able to erase his very existence if she so wished and couldn’t even get an inkling of an idea of what she was thinking. He stared into her eyes, realizing that aside from the Operators, she was the only one on the Bunker to not wear a visor. Her eyes were hard, sharp and intimidating. Maybe that was the reason- to strike fear into those that opposed her.</p><p>Hoping to get some more information, 9S tried asking a simple question: “Why?”</p><p>Yes, of course he would ask. His model type is inquisitive by nature, it’s how they were made. However, there is no way he could know the… unethical reason for her decision. </p><p>In truth, Commander White had been going through old records about androids who had taken their own lives upon learning that humanity was wiped out. The feeling of crushing agony and hopelessness was something that nobody in YoRHa had ever experienced. In short, it was emotional data that they had yet to collect. She had been planning to execute her plan to collect this data the next time 9S had breached the server for some time and was almost <em> too </em>excited to see it in action.</p><p>Of course, she knew the risks involved. Not only could the information he held be leaked, but every simulation she ran on his consciousness data led to worrying results for him and those involved with him. 9S models had notoriously weak psyches, and it didn’t take much for them to deteriorate to a dangerous and concerning state. It was usually an unfortunate design flaw, but for the purpose of this experiment it could be seen as a boon.</p><p>No, it was not an ethical experiment. One may even see it as immoral and unjust, but in the art of collecting data sometimes sacrifices must be made.</p><p>“That information is confidential.” She answered him, fully aware of the irony of her statement. </p><p>9S cocked his head to the side, clearly not expecting that answer. “Um, okay…” His voice trailed as he worked up the confidence to ask his next question. “Commander, what <em> did </em>happen to humanity?”</p><p>“Right,” she nodded, “I suppose you deserve to know. As you may have already concluded, humanity no longer exists.”</p><p>A feeling of emptiness swelled up inside 9S. He wanted to wail to the heavens having heard that his assumption was correct. That feeling of existential despair reared its head again as he realized his existence was meaningless, but a mental image of 2B cleared it away in an image. No, he had to keep on living. If not himself, then for her.</p><p>A thought intruded its way into his mind: Would 2B even miss him? He of course enjoyed the time he spent with her, but did she enjoy the time she spent with him? No, that’s a ridiculous thing to think. If she didn’t like him, she would have requested a new partner ages ago. There was also the fact that she never laughed or even smiled around other people; that meant she <em> had </em> to like him, right? Yeah, he was able to convince himself, 2B cared about him. The way she grinned at him, as small and rare as those grins were, were enough to convince him that she would be devastated to lose him. 2B needed him, he was sure of it. He <em> needed </em>to survive for her, to keep on living for her.</p><p>He continued to listen intently to Commander White as she explained everything to him. Humanity had been dead eons before the aliens even invaded, although she could not tell him when or how they were wiped out. Dummy signals from a server on the moon acted as the Council of Humanity- a farce set up to give androids on the surface something to fight for. </p><p>The Commander had carefully planned this explanation out in advance, having chosen to skip over the fact that androids that knew the truth were often overcome with anguish so intense they would rather choose to die than to accept that humans were extinct.</p><p>“YoRHa was established to help promote the lie,” she finally concluded. “Androids on the surface of the Earth are none the wiser and live fulfilling lives fighting for what they believe to be the remnants of humanity.”</p><p>“I... see.” 9S’ hands were clenched into balls so tight, his fingernails were digging into his palms through his gloves. So what if the androids on the surface were living good lives? They were giving their lives for nothing. If 2B were to die… it would be without meaning.</p><p>Sure she was happy to fight the machines in this war, but was it right? Was it right for her to potentially give her life for a cause that no longer exists? His life be damned, 2B was the only thing his mind kept coming back to.</p><p>“So, 9S. There are certain conditions to be allowed to continue living knowing what you know.” He was pulled out of his own head by Commander White’s voice.</p><p>“Conditions?”</p><p>“Yes. You are now in possession of data so valuable that only a few are aware of it.” White leaned backwards in her chair. “And as such, I need to take precautions to make sure you do not leak this information.”</p><p>“Ah.” Well, there goes telling 2B. </p><p>“I will preface my conditions with a warning: failure to comply will result in a complete wipe of your data.” Her voice was low and intimidating. It sent shivers down 9S’ spine. “You will be killed and your personality, consciousness and memory data will be completely erased in the Bunker’s server. In addition, your model will never be reissued. After everyone syncs their own data, it will be as if you never existed. Nobody will remember you.”</p><p>Nobody will remember him? Again, 2B, a warm smile adorned on her face, flashed before his eyes.</p><p>“I understand, Commander.” He acknowledged with a curt nod.</p><p>The conditions laid out by the Commander were not unreasonable. He was to never speak of the fate of humanity to another person. This was the big condition and the one that the Commander stressed the most, emphasizing that he can never even tell 2B or even discuss it with the Commander herself. An update would be pushed out to Pod 153, forcing it to constantly record 9S’ voice even in situations such as sleep or self-repair mode. These voice recordings would be relayed back to the Bunker to ensure that he never reveals the secret.</p><p>There was a pause as 9S committed the information to his memory banks before Commander White continued to speak. “In addition, I will grant you certain additional permissions.”</p><p>Under his visor, he cocked an eyebrow. The confusion must have been visible on his face despite his eyes not being visible because the Commander chuckled. “Consider it a bribe to keep you quiet.”</p><p>There was no way she would ever be able to tell him that these permissions were an attempt to keep him from jumping off a cliff once the gravity of his situation eventually hit. </p><p>As Commander White listed off things that 9S would now have access to, a smile began to creep across his face. Free to modify flight units to his heart’s content and access to usually confidential records on humanity? He hardly registered that he now had clearance to use weaponry or request to go on specific missions, he was so excited about the former. Yeah those were cool but now he can modify a flight unit without being yelled at! It was like a dream come true. But yet, there was something unsettling about what she was telling him. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but giving him these privileges felt… untrustworthy in an unusual way.</p><p>“I’m sure you find these permissions to be acceptable?” She questioned, a smirk lining her face.</p><p>“Y-yes, of course!” Outwardly, he was as excited as a small child, but inwardly he was horribly and utterly confused. All of this just to keep him quiet? To say he understood would be lying, but if there was one thing he learned in the time he had spent in front of the Commander it was that he had absolutely no idea what she was thinking. </p><p>But still- he was alive. He was going to leave this office alive and breathing, and for that he was eternally grateful.</p><p>Again, she laughed under her breath as he made eye contact with her. “You are dismissed.” The Commander raised a hand to her chest. “Glory to mankind.”</p><p>9S copied her, this time saying the phrase with confidence. He felt lighter than air as he turned and left her office, a large smile on his face.</p><p>As he turned away from her, a pang of guilt shot through Commander White. How long would that smile on his face last? Only time would tell, but she knew it wouldn’t be long.</p><p>Stepping out of the Commander’s office, 9S felt conflicting emotions rise within him. Of course, he was elated he was alive. But it was also this fact that made him uneasy. That feeling of distrust he felt towards YoRHa’s leader crept back. Keeping him alive made no sense from a strategic or even logical standpoint.</p><p>He knew classified information. The Commander should have killed him right then and there. But she didn’t. And for that reason, he decided, he couldn’t completely trust her anymore. He glanced at Pod 153, remembering that by the end of the day he would be constantly monitored. His distrust towards the Commander was another thing he would never be able to discuss aloud.</p><p>Silently, he continued his walk back to his room. His position was certainly an interesting one. In a way, he was both alive and dead at the same time. Alive in the way that he was still breathing but dead in the way that the Commander could kill him at a moment’s notice if she determined him to be saying too much. It was a lot to trust her with his life, and he resented the fact that said trust had waived.</p><p>The sound of rapidly approaching footsteps made him pause and turn around. Rushing towards him were two Healer units. His gaze followed them as they ran by him, their pods trailing close behind. </p><p><em> “Someone must be hurt,</em>” the obvious crossed his mind. He offered a quick prayer for the unit’s quick recovery and prepared to set off again when something else entirely got his attention.</p><p>“Oh thank god, 9S!” It was the familiar voice of 2B’s Operator. Glancing behind him again, he saw her running towards him, eyes wide and afraid.</p><p>Wait, if 6O was running after the Healers…</p><p>It didn’t take a genius to put two and two together.</p><p>9S’ pulse began to race as he followed behind 6O. 2B was hurt, and <em> badly </em>if medic units were getting involved. It must only be physical wounds though- she wouldn’t be transported to the Bunker if she had contracted a logic virus. Good, that means her personality data is safe. Unless it was a latent virus only detectable by Scanners that hadn’t taken effect yet. Shit, if he hadn’t been with the Commander he probably would have made the journey to the surface with the recovery team and conducted a scan. </p><p>“What happened!?” He yelled ahead of him.</p><p>Without glancing back, 6O’s voice trembled. “Something-- something went wrong.” Dammit, that wasn’t enough information!</p><p>“What do you mean ‘went wrong’!?”</p><p>This time, the Operator’s voice cracked and 9S knew she was crying. “She walked right into an ambush. I didn’t-- I didn’t see it coming and I couldn’t warn her.” She hiccupped and instantly 9S felt bad for yelling at her. Shouting in acknowledgement, tense and anxious silence fell between them.</p><p>9S and 6O turned into the med bay moments after the Healers did. The designated recovery and transport carrier was already docked. From its cockpit, two more Healers jumped out and raced towards the carrier’s cargo bay. The pair pushed their way through the small crowd of B- and D-type units that had gathered- it wasn’t every day that a surface recovery happened.</p><p>Unsurprisingly, Healers that weren’t immediately assigned to 2B tried to push back against them. 9S glanced at 6O, her cheeks stained with tears. “Let us through, I’m her Operator!” The words left her as a desperate scream.</p><p>“And I’m her partner!” 9S added, voice equally as desperate to see her. </p><p>The H-units exchanged a quick glance. “She’s not in good shape.” One of them, a girl with curly hair the color of night, warned. </p><p>9S growled. “I don’t care. Let. Us. Through.” </p><p>The other Healer, taller and with locks of gold, placed a hand on her companion's shoulder. “8H, let them through.”</p><p>8H nodded, and the pair stepped aside. 6O, as genuinely as she could through her frenzied worry for 2B, thanked them before they rushed forward.</p><p>Four Healer units surrounded the temporary cot 2B was laying on which was situated in the cargo bay. Medical supplies he couldn’t identify cluttered the interior and he could pick up the hushed but intense voices of the medics. They glanced towards 9S and 6O, their faces stressed. 9S outpaced 6O at this point and was the first to reach her side.</p><p>He should have listened to 8H’s warning, even if “not in good shape” was a gross understatement. The condition she was in nearly caused him to keel over and vomit, but he somehow managed to keep his composure as he took into the horrendous sight before him.</p><p>A large gash was present across her stomach and her internals were pooling out of it in a wild and uncontrolled fashion. The pipings laid shrewd about her midsection as the Healers worked desperately to get control of the bleeding. 2B coughed, causing her body to convulse which pushed more oil and red colored coolant from the tubes that were now on the outside of her body. It stained her underdressing with a sick combination of red, black and brown.</p><p>Her standard issued combat dressing had been burned away by something, judging by the markings that remained on her leotard. With a sick feeling in his stomach, 9S realized that something must have attached itself to her and exploded. An area of her endoskeleton had been completely destroyed in the blast, exposing ribs and artificial cartilage. The ribs, being stronger than the bones they were based on, were bent in all sorts of unnatural ways. Again, she convulsed under the touch of one of the Healers and he saw one of the ribs stab something on her inside, causing her to scream in agony.</p><p>Laying across her chest, which was covered in smaller slashes and burn marks, was her arm. Where her hand should be was nothing more than exposed circuitry and nerve endings. It had been blown off at the wrist as she no doubt had tried to pull off whatever it was that had stuck to her. Sparks flew from the exposed wires, indicating activation of the muscles. Was 2B trying to move an appendage that was no longer there? </p><p>Finally, her most egregious injury was to her face. Where her left eye should have been was… nothing. Something had stabbed her straight through it, creating an exit would at the back of her head. Blood splattered around its socket and some of her skin had been burned away in explosion, revealing metal plating and sinews underneath. Strips of skin curled up in macabre curls, having been peeled away and burned. It was as if one could reach out and grab it and pull it off.</p><p>Without thinking, he kneeled down next to her head and 6O finally caught up to him. He barely heard her cry in despair, all that he could focus on was 2B. Her other arm, the one with the hand still attached, laid limply at the side of the cot. Instinctively, he grasped it. Even with both of his hands around hers, hers was still bigger.</p><p>“2B,” his voice shattered under the sight of her like this, “I’m right here.”</p><p>To his surprise, she slowly turned her head towards him. He heard her neck creak and tear at the effort, causing his stomach to churn. Her remaining eye struggled to focus on him, its pupil darting around everywhere, Small, red warning signals were visible in their glassy blue depths. Despite everything, she smiled at him. It was a small smile, perhaps not even noticeable to non S-type models, but it was there.</p><p>“9...Ssssss…” Her voice was hoarse and even the shortness of his name caused her vocal processors to fluctuate. What came out was garbled and staticy but it was still his name. She was conscious. She was <em> alive</em>.</p><p>“2B,” he repeated as tears started to flow from under his visor. “You can relax, you’re safe.”</p><p>“Sss-aaaaa-fe.” The word further stressed her voice. “9-9-9… Ssssssssss.” Her head rolled back towards the ceiling, the smile still on her face.</p><p>He grasped her hand even tighter as he looked up towards one of the Healers. She was applying staunching gel to the smaller gashes on 2B’s chest. Knowing that he would hate the answer, he asked her a question. “What’s her status?”</p><p>“Pod 506,” she turned towards her support unit, “what’s the status of the patient?” From the top of the pod’s head, a holo-screen appeared showing 2B’s profile. Pods designated to H-type units came with this as a standard protocol, allowing medics to closely monitor a patient’s vitals at all times. It was a display of graphs, charts and numbers that 9S couldn’t make heads or tails of.</p><p>“Analysis: The patient, YoRHa No. 2 Type B, designation 2B, is in critical condition.” The pod explained. “Her black box signal is active, but is fading at an alarming rate. Consciousness data is intact, but irreparably fragmented.”</p><p>Irreparably fragmented? The words barely had time to register before he felt 2B’s hand get pulled away from him. She was being moved from the cot onto a stretcher. They were taking her away from him. No, they can’t. He needs to get into her and repair her consciousness. </p><p>He stood up and reached out to her when he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was 6O, here eyes and cheeks puffy from crying. “They need to move her 9S.”</p><p>“No,” he felt hollow, “I need--I need to hack her.”</p><p>“9S, they said it’s irreparable.”</p><p>He shrugged her off and took a step towards the stretcher that 2B had been transferred to. “No! I can fix it! I can--”</p><p>In an instant, the conversation he had with the Commander just before his world fell apart came back to him. It was only consciousness data, she can be backed up. But what if it was worse than that? What if her personality data had become corrupted? Or her backup memories erased somehow?</p><p>“<em>As you may have already concluded, humanity no longer exists</em>.” 2B was like this, broken and with a dying sense of self, for a lie. A lie that that Commander was willingly carrying out. How many times had she seen YoRHa soldiers die? How many times had she sat idly by, sending units to their death for a bold faced lie? How many of his comrades had made it back to the Bunker in similar, if not worse conditions than 2B?</p><p>No, he had to save her sense of self. That’s the very least he had to do. He was an accomplice in the greatest lie ever told now and that sin had to be remedied.</p><p>“I can fix her!” He screamed as his tears continued to fall. But, despite his conviction he stayed where he was stiff and shaking. What if he messed up? What if he broke her even farther and erased her forever?</p><p>One of the Healers turned away from 2B towards him, her face soft with sympathy. “You can accompany her, if you wish. However, only one visitor is allowed for critically injured patients.”</p><p>Without hesitating, 6O nodded. “You go with her, I’ll be fine. She needs you more than she needs me right now.” Her eyes were sad, but her voice was solid with conviction.</p><p>“Right.” The tremors in his body calmed down as he took a deep breath. He couldn’t worry about that right now. 2B, the 2B in the current moment who would soon be gone, needed him.</p><p>This shouldn’t have happened. Nobody should be dying or injured for a humanity that wasn’t there. How many more times would those around him die? </p><p>The weight of the world rested on his shoulders now. Knowing a truth that so desperately needed to be kept a secret that the Commander would be willing to kill was a heavy load to bear. How many more times would he have to watch 2B almost die? How long would he be able to keep himself from telling her the truth; to ask her to abandon YoRHa and their lies and run away together?</p><p>These thoughts weighed heavily on his mind as he walked in tandem with the Healers to the intensive care unit, his hand clasping 2B’s the entire way there. It may have been his imagination, but he was certain he felt her clasp his hand in return.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks to Kilo and Rhia for reading the first big part of this chapter. Glad it wasn't boring!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Part 1</b>
</p><p>
  <b>The Flames of Fall</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It almost looked like she was asleep. She was peaceful-beautiful as she rested. To say she </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> asleep wasn’t entirely incorrect. Self-repair could only happen in rest mode, but she wasn’t in that position by choice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>9S glanced to her left eye and gulped. It was closed and fully intact, as it should be. This was a new body, after all. But the imagery of the hole, the blood and horror of just a few days prior hadn’t left him. It would never leave him-he wouldn’t allow himself to forget it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That image of 2B, dying and in pain, had been committed to memory as a way to motivate himself to never let it happen again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had lost track of how long he had been sitting next to her in her room, keeping watch as her new chassis conducted the standard self repair procedure. Normally, this process was so rudimentary and standard it wouldn’t have worried 9S in the slightest. But her consciousness data had been shattered so thoroughly that a typical and routine repair was impossible. He would need to hack 2B and manually reconstruct at least a part of her consciousness and her memories.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he watched her, scenarios ran through his head. If he hadn’t been with the Commander, he would have been brought to Earth with the recovery team. If he had been there, he could have manually uploaded her consciousness data and backup and she wouldn’t be in this situation. He would have been there with her to comfort her and be with her through the entire ordeal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>9S held 2B’s limp hand between both of his. A scowl crossed his face as he thought of Commander White and his grip on her tightened. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>should </span>
  </em>
  <span>have been there. And it was the Commander’s fault he wasn’t.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He made a promise to her in that moment to always be by her side. If anything happened to her, he would always be there to help. And nothing would get in his way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alert: Unit 2B’s data has been 80% repaired. Proposal: Manually assist with the remaining repairs.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right,” 9S acknowledged his pod with a curt nod. Typically, Pod 042 would be the one to relay information about 2B’s status but it too had been injured in the ambush that had almost taken her from him. It sat on 2B’s desk, also in self-repair mode.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before hacking 2B, there was one thing he had to do, however. Internally, he clicked through some screens and pulled up an IRC client. Navigating a bit further in through a few more menus, he began to type.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>ID9S: hey, she’s ready</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>ID9S: I’m going to start the hack now</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>ID9S: not sure how long it’ll take, sooooooo</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>ID801S: lmao k i can take a hint</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>ID801S: go ahead and start well be right there </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>9S tilted his head in confusion. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>ID9S: wait</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>ID9S: what do you mean “we”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>ID801S: :3c</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>ID801S: dont worry about it just focus on helping toobs</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He groaned. His brothers- that is 801S, 3S, 11S, and 32S- insisted that </span>
  <em>
    <span>he </span>
  </em>
  <span>was the one to initially call 2B “Toobs”. 9S, however, had absolutely no recollection of such an event. While such a significant gap in his backup memories should be cause for alarm, he was mostly annoyed that the other Scanners had clung on to the silly nickname.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>ID9S: how many times do I have to say it </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>ID9S: PLEASE don’t call her that</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>ID801S: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>ID801S: ya reap what ya sow bro</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>ID9S: UUUUHGGGG fine whatever</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>ID9S: door is unlocked, just come on in </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>ID801S: k</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sighing in defeat, he closed out the client. He loved 801S dearly and truly but imagining his shit-eating grin as he typed the word “Toobs” into the chat made 9S throw his head back and groan. Yet, it was hard to stay mad or even annoyed with him- he did genuinely care about those he was close to. He was just a bit… odd, in some respects.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Repositioning himself a bit, he took another look at 2B’s face. She looked so peaceful. He hoped that whatever pain she had felt had been fleeting. She won’t remember it, at the very least. Getting a little bit of comfort from that fact, he smiled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He found himself unable to look away from her. His mind began to wander as a fog creeped in; 2B’s face suddenly blurred. A bit annoyed, 9S vaguely recognized he was in an unusual mental state, but found himself unable (or, perhaps, unwilling) to remove himself from it. It was just the two of them at the moment. Not in the midst of battle, not flying through the air with flight units. Right now, in her room in the Bunker, there was absolutely nothing the universe could do to rip her from him again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> As if he had lost control of his thought processes, records of old human courtship traditions suddenly occurred to him. A story, a fairytale to be specific, ran through his data banks. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Sleeping Beauty</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he remembered its name. A classic tale, humans had told it countless times throughout the years- a story in which a prince awakens his princess with a kiss. 9S blinked and his eyes focused but his mind remained dispatched from his physical form. A kiss…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No, he couldn’t do that. That would be invading her privacy; taking advantage of her in a state where she could not tell him “no” made his stomach churn. Even in the miasma of his mind, he was cognizant enough to be disgusted with himself that the thought had even crossed him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He dug further into the old human tale, pausing when another form of affection caught his attention. The prince, befuddled by the princess’ beauty, wordlessly runs his hand gently down her cheek. It was a strange action, but then again when weren’t humans strange? Admittedly though, there was something strangely elegant and tender about the gesture. It was slow and deliberate, as if the prince was taking the time to memorize the feeling of the princess’ skin under his fingers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was spectacularly mundane but tantalizingly intimate. Maybe he could just--</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In an instant, the fog in his vision vanished and the room was suddenly crystal clear. 9S was leaning forward, his hand hovering inches away from her cheek. Time halted- he was frozen where he was save for the slight shaking of his hand. His brow furrowed. What had he been doing? He couldn’t recall anything from the past several minutes. The only remnant of his previous desires being a faint voice in the back of his head telling him to touch 2B.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Confused and concerned about his lapse in memory, he pulled his hand back to his side. He would have to check his consciousness data later to make sure nothing had been corrupted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Proposal: Hack into unit 2B and restore her consciousness data.” If Pod 153 could be annoyed, the emotion probably would have been dripping in its voice as it reminded 9S of his mission.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He waved his hand in the air to dismiss the pod. “Yeah, yeah.” Of course, 2B would take priority over his own care, but he was still concerned over the stupor he had been in. “Pod, remind me to do a check of my consciousness data within the next 72 hours.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Affirmative.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had to focus on 2B, but that intense longing, the </span>
  <em>
    <span>desire</span>
  </em>
  <span>, to touch her still nagged at the back of his mind. He had no idea where it came from, but it badgered him like an itch that couldn’t be reached. Taking her hand in his again, he was relieved that the feeling seemed to fade away. It was still there, a low and constant thrum in the back of his consciousness, but it was dim enough that it could be easily ignored.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry 2B, it’ll be okay. I’ll make sure of it.” 9S smiled as he entered her mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The soft off-whites and greys of hacking space overtook his vision. He was overcome with a feeling of familiarity and comfort, causing him to sigh in contentment. It was a feeling that was unusual, but the warmth of 2B’s circuits and data was overwhelmingly wonderful. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Most of her nodes were still shut down- visual receptors, audio inputs and outputs, tactile responses; it felt weird to ignore them. It was the first time he had ever hacked into her this deep and those nodes, while important, were not of his concern as he made his way farther into her to check on her personality data.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Traversing her data and circuits was easy and came naturally to him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Wait a minute,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>he realized, </span>
  <em>
    <span>“I’ve never had to go this far into her before…” </span>
  </em>
  <span>His memory data confirmed that he had never had to do such an intense repair to 2B before. If that was the case, why did the path he took seem second nature to him? A B-unit’s circuitry, while similar to the design and make of an S-unit, was different enough that theoretically he </span>
  <em>
    <span>should </span>
  </em>
  <span>have gotten at least a little lost in the wiring. But here he was, nearing her personality data with not even an iota of navigational challenges. He approached the core of her personality, determining that his ease of travel was a weird fluke and that it wasn’t worth expending the energy to worry about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he got closer, 9S was relieved, but not surprised, to see that her personality data had been installed properly. Still, it was worth taking a closer look. Under normal circumstances such a check wouldn’t be necessary. The download and installation of personality data was an autonomous process that had been perfected by YoRHa R&amp;D long before 9S’ model had been rolled out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The rationality in his mind couldn’t push out his overwhelming anxiety of losing her, though. If her personality data was corrupted even slightly, she would be gone forever and the proposition of life without her in it was a horrific thought. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Meticulously, he inspected the bits, data and circuitry that made up 2B’s personality. No noise or static was present. Good. Of course, he had known this would be the case but it was still reassuring to see for himself. 2B would wake up and be okay.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“This is just going to happen again.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>If his consciousness was still in his body, he would have grimaced at the thought. For as long she would continue to fight in this pointless war, her life would always be on the line. More than anything, he wished he could tell her the moment she awoke. Even if she chose to continue fighting, she would know the truth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Disgust swelled in his heart as he turned away from her personality data. How could the Commander have let this happen to her? He resented that she was fully aware of the futility of their battles, but chose to send YoRHa to slaughter anyway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No, he couldn’t allow himself to think these thoughts. At least not right now. 9S had to focus on fixing 2B. In a perfect world, he would never have to worry and fret about losing her to a flagrant lie. The fantasy of an existence without worry played in the back of his mind as he continued onward.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He traveled along her circuits towards her consciousness data. At this point, it should be almost fully repaired. He was just there to make sure it seamed and flowed together as well as to make sure her backup memory loaded correctly. The damage to her consciousness had been staggeringly large and it was determined early on that it wouldn’t be able to be restored fully by itself. That was where a Scanner’s hacking abilities came in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yo, Nines!” 801S’ voice echoed around him, announcing the arrival of one of his brothers. Before 9S could reply, he snickered. “Oh, are we </span>
  <em>
    <span>interrupting</span>
  </em>
  <span> something?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you talking about?” 9S’ voice traveled from outside his suspended body.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Damn 9S, you know that hand holding is basically the same as fucking right?” That wasn’t 801S. Instead, it was the slightly higher pitched voice of the Bunker’s server administrator, 3S. His voice was tired, as it always was, but light with amusement. “If you were gonna do something so raunchy, you coulda told us to come later.” 801S laughed as 3S finished his sentence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>801S was a handful on his own. 3S was always tired and wound up. Despite being on polar opposite ends of the social spectrum, they got along the best out of the group of Scanners that called themselves family. And boy, were they a force to be reckoned with when they played off each other. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing here, 3S?” He chose to ignore the embarrassing remarks that absolutely would have turned his cheeks a bright shade of scarlet had he been connected to his body. “I only asked for 801S to stop by.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll explain that when you’re done.” 801S’ suddenly took on a serious edge as he continued to speak. “How’s she doing? Have you started repairing her consciousness yet?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Her personality data is completely intact, no issues there.” 9S reported. “I actually just accessed her consciousness data so your timing is impeccable.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When is it not?” Again, 9S saw his shit-eating grin in his mind’s eye.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How bad is the damage?” The joviality in 3S’ voice had disappeared, replaced with a serious and concerned tone. These two together were annoying, grating even at times, but they genuinely cared about 9S and, as an extension, 2B. It was nice having a makeshift family looking out for him, and he would always appreciate it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>9S looked at 2B’s consciousness data and was relieved that it, like he had expected, had mostly repaired itself. The only fragments remaining were of memory data that hadn’t been allocated correctly, which could be fixed relatively easily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But, the fact that it had been so fragmented in the first place was cause for concern. It was for this reason he had asked 801S to come and spot him as he worked. If additional assistance was needed, he would be able hack right in and provide it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had no idea why he dragged 3S along.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shouldn’t you be in the server room, Threes?” 9S inquired as he began to put 2B’s memories back in place. It was a simple, somewhat mundane process so he was glad to have someone to talk to. The fact that it was such a simple task, despite the horrendous state she had been in, was a good sign. He would have smiled if he could.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Although he couldn’t see the action, he knew 3S shrugged as he answered. “I’m on what humans would call a ‘lunch break’.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>9S placed a memory 2B had about catching a particularly large fish in its correct location. “Lunch break?” He questioned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When humans would work” 3S explained, “they would be allowed time to sit and consume their midday meal, commonly referred to as lunch.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>801S scoffed. “Humans sure are weird. It’ll be fun to study ‘em when they get back to Earth.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A silence fell between the three Scanners. 9S, of course, bit his tongue. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>They’re gone. They’re never going back to Earth.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>How he wished he could speak the truth, to share what he knew with his brother. He hated this situation, he hated having to lie.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...Yeah.” Confusingly, 3S’ response sounded cautious, as if he carefully chose how he was speaking. “It’ll be fun to watch them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The three Scanners continued with their idle chit chat, occasionally falling silent if 9S deemed he needed to concentrate. The openness of his brothers and the ease of which he found himself speaking to them was a nice change of pace. He loved 2B’s company, he absolutely did, but sometimes talking to her was difficult. She didn’t have the innate curiosity that Scanners had so, it was often that he would excitedly point something out to her only to have the conversation die immediately due to a lack of interest on her part. 9S never took it personally, but it still hurt a bit that he couldn’t hold a conversation about things he was passionate about with her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You almost done?” 801S yawned. “Being in a place with no visual or tactile stimuli is driving me a bit crazy.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>9S snorted, absolutely understanding the torment having nothing to do. “Yeah, yeah. I only have one memory left to put into place. Thanks for being here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can thank me by finishing up!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>9S barely registered what 801S had said. He stared at the final memories he had to manually fix. Unlike the other memories, he couldn’t even remotely tell what this one was about. Interrupting some sort of conversation that 801S and 3S were having, he reported the concerning find.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“These last memories have attack barriers attached to them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh?” Both Scanners on the outside world questioned in unison.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was no mistaking it. Whatever these memories are, they were something that 2B purposefully did not want anyone, not even him, to see. “I mean, I can still repair them easily but…” His voice trailed. Why were there attack barriers on these memories? What was she hiding?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They weren’t very sophisticated barriers and if he wanted to, he would have been able to get by them with little to no problem. The thought briefly crossed him but no, there’s no way he could. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Those are 2B’s and hers alone. Not mine.” </span>
  </em>
  <span> The inquisitive mind of a Scanner was both a blessing and curse. 9S desperately wanted to know what she was hiding and </span>
  <em>
    <span>why </span>
  </em>
  <span>she was hiding it. More than anything in the world, he wanted an answer. But to give into his thirst for knowledge would be to violate 2B in a horrific way, even if she was never aware it had ever happened. He forced himself to quell his rabid curiosity out of respect for 2B and placed the final batch of memories into place.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His consciousness rushed back to his body as he exited hacking space. “Pod, status.” 9S commanded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Analysis: Unit 2B’s consciousness and memories have been restored. Proposal: Wait for her to reboot, then report to Command.” 9S sighed in exasperated relief at the words that droned from his pod. He hadn’t messed up and she was set to reboot any time now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something pushed him forward and he looked over his shoulder to see 801S having planted a forceful hand between his shoulder blades. His light ashen hair was long and wild, perfectly befitting the head it sat upon. Under his standard issue YoRHa visor 9S knew sat eyes identical to his own. Most notably, 801S’ smile was wide and toothy. “Great job Nines!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>9S shrugged and turned his attention back to 2B. He realized he was still gripping her hand and, slightly embarrassed, released her. “Sorry I wasted your time by asking you to be here but I needed to be sure. You two can leave now, I’ll stay with her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope!” 801S sounded cheerful as he slapped 9S’ back again. “You’re not spending another minute in this room.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Turning back towards 801S, 9S was puzzled. “Come again?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You heard him.” 3S spoke up and 9S directed his gaze towards him. This Scanner had fiery locks that fell across his face in waves. Aside from his bright hair, he was notable as one of the only non-Operator units on the Bunker to not wear a visor. He had never been stationed on Earth, and the visors were for assistance with combat and data analysis- After a while he had figured there was no point. The icy blue of his eyes pierced 9S as he spoke. “We’re staging an intervention.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“An...intervention?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pod 153,” 3S directed his question towards 9S’ pod, “how long has unit 9S been in this room?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If it had been anyone but 3S, Pod 153 wouldn’t have responded. But as the server administrator, he had innate access to all pods on the network and could commandeer any of them at will. It was a useful ability to have, but in that moment 9S loathed it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Unit 9S has not left unit 2B’s room in approximately 77 hours and 26 minutes.” The pod dutifully reported.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The number shocked 9S. There was no way it had been three days. Maybe one day, but not three.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>801S put his hands under 9S’ arms and pulled him to his feet. “Like Threes said, an intervention. You and him are gonna go on a walk. Clear your head.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>9S wanted to protest but he knew it would fall on deaf ears. These two, once they conspired, would never change their minds. He glanced towards 2B, still resting peacefully on her bed. “But…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>3S stepped forward and grabbed 9S by the wrist. “801S will stay here and watch over her.” He smiled warmly and his eyes were soft and understanding. 9S felt his body relax and knew instantly that 3S was doing what they called “comfort hacking”. It was easy, trivial even, to manipulate an android’s emotional receptors with just a touch. Theoretically, any emotion could be manipulated but Scanners only ever used it to calm down compatriots and to help them relax. It was a cheap trick, especially when used on other Scanners, but dammit it worked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>For the first time, he noticed his jaw was clenched. Wondering how long his teeth had been gritting against each other, 9S allowed his body to relax for the first time in what was apparently days. “Fine.” He agreed, pulling his wrist away from 3S. The feeling of warmth that had enveloped him faded but the calmness remained; the hack had done its job. He shot a quick glance towards 801S, who had pulled up a hacking game on his pod’s projector. “If </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything </span>
  </em>
  <span>happens--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>801S, not looking away from his game, dismissed him with a wave. “I’ll shoot you a message when her final reboot and optimization processes begin.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>9S looked over his shoulder at her as he followed 3S out of her room. 801S, despite playing a game, would keep a close eye on her, he knew that for a fact. Scanners were excellent multitaskers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The doors behind them slid shut, clanking against each other as 9S lost sight of 2B. “Come on.” 3S urged 9S to follow him with a small wave of his hand. Casting one last glance towards her room, he finally forced himself to face forward as he followed his red haired brother down the hall.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were a few yards down the hallways when 3S began to talk. “What’s up with you, man?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not expecting such a question, 9S stumbled over his words. “W-what do you mean?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Something about you just feels off.” 3S explained. The duo turned a corner, one of the only ones in the spherical Bunker, and found themselves in front of 3S’ room. Punching in on a keypad, sounds of mechanics whirred as his doors opened. 3S stepped in, with 9S following close behind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>9S had visited 3S’ room before but he was still beset with jealousy over its interior. 3S’ room was larger than the standard rooms YoRHa units were assigned, but for good reason. The walls were covered from the floors to the ceilings with monitors. A large server with unattached wires sat in one corner of the room and computer terminals littered the floor. The screens were displaying so much data and code that looking at them made 9S dizzy as he instinctively tried to process and analyze what he read. This was certainly a room fitting for YoRHa’s server administrator. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>3S pulled up a chair from his desk for 9S to sit on while he sat on his bed. “When I comfort hacked you, your emotions were all over the place.” His brother continued his train of thought and 9S flinched at how forward he was being. When a Scanner comfort hacked someone, they were able to dully feel the emotions of their target which helped to pinpoint how to best calm them down. Of course 3S would be able to identify the emotions that 9S had been feeling since his conversation with Commander White.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Betrayal. Hurt. Rage. Fear. Hopelessness. Despair. 3S knew he was feeling </span>
  <em>
    <span>all </span>
  </em>
  <span>of those in spades. And now 9S had to figure out a way to explain it all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m just worried about 2B.” He partially lied. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s the thing,” 3S didn’t miss a beat, “you’re not </span>
  <em>
    <span>usually </span>
  </em>
  <span>this worried about her.” His face fell as the final word left his lips, as if he had said something he wasn’t supposed to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>9S was confused. This was the first time he had ever seen 2B so utterly… destroyed. He had never even imagined that she was capable of being beaten down into the state that she had been in. It was the most terrifying thing he had ever seen- he surely would have remembered if she had been in that condition in the past.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean ‘usually’?” He challenged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was just a second of dead air between them, as if 3S was preparing an answer. “It’s just that you’ve only known her for, what, a month?” If he was pulling an explanation from out of thin air, he was doing a spectacular job at lying; 9S couldn’t tell if he was being truthful or not. “It just seems weird for you to be so distraught is all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>9S’ face fell to a glower as revulsion swelled inside. “You didn’t see the condition she was in,” he nearly spat at his brother. “You didn’t see her with her insides on the outside or without her eye.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Sss-aaaaa-fe… 9-9-9… Ssssssssss. </span>
  </em>
  <span>2B’s garbled words played on repeat as he began to see red. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t know that if 2B was to be lost, she would be lost for nothing. He didn’t know that if she had been lost forever, 9S wasn’t sure how he would be able to continue living knowing there was nothing he could have done to save her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Under his visor, 9S’ eyes narrowed into a glare and he barked at 3S. “You don’t know </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything </span>
  </em>
  <span>about our relationship.” The words slid out, unplanned and unintended. So what if they had only known each other for a month? So what if 2B seemed to be purposefully keeping her distance from him?  2B cared about him and he cared about her and that’s all that mattered to him. How </span>
  <em>
    <span>dare</span>
  </em>
  <span> 3S speak about what he couldn’t even begin to understand?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>3S’ relaxed posture had stiffened to one that exuded anxiety. He held up his hands in front of him, partially in defense and partially to show that he would be no threat. “Woah, woah woah! Calm down! I overstepped a boundary, I realize that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>9S took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. The crimson that had taken over his sight faded away as he ran a hand through his hair in slight embarrassment. It wasn’t like him to let his emotions overwhelm him like that, especially not towards someone like 3S. “No, no,” he sighed, “I’m sorry. I’m just anxious right now I guess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>3S chuckled and relaxed again. “Yeah, I can tell. That’s why 801S asked me to escort you out of your room for a while.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>9S snorted, all hostility towards his brother gone from his body. “Yeah, ‘escort’,” he made air quotes with his fingers, “I’m pretty sure you would have physically removed me had I said no.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The red head threw his head back and laughed. “Bingo.” Finding his laugh infectious, 9S soon found himself hooting along with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He loved his brothers. As annoyed as he had been that 801S had planned this behind his back, he admitted that he needed a break from the doom and gloom of waiting for 2B to wake up. He would have to make time to meet up with 11S and 32S at some point, he couldn’t remember the last time he had talked to them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The laughter in the room died down and 3S smiled at him. “Ya know Nines,” the use of his nickname caught him off guard as 3S never used nicknames, “if there’s anything you need to talk about, we’re always here to listen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The words, while meant to be comforting, pierced 9S’ heart. He knew 3S was telling the truth but he would never be able to tell him, or anyone else for that matter. How he wished he could because there was nothing more reassuring than being able to talk to another Scanner about what ailed him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe it was a trick of the dim light in the room, dizziness from the screens or just his eyes playing tricks on him but 9S swore that 3S glanced at Pod 153 as he spoke again. “I just don’t want you to feel like you’re alone in… whatever you’re going through.” Again, 3S gave the impression that he was choosing his words carefully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It struck 9S that as the server administrator, his brother had unrestricted access to all the information contained within. His data trail would not be seen as suspicious, even in the deepest layers of information. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Slowly, a realization crept its way into 9S’ mind. Did 3S know the truth?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No, that was ridiculous and he felt silly for even thinking it. The Commander would have killed 3S immediately if he had accessed confidential files. Server administrator or not, he would never be granted permission to look at files only meant for the Commander’s eyes. 3S isn’t dumb, he for sure knew that to do so would be to forfeit his life. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>For the briefest of moments, 9S almost had a companion in this world of secrecy. Of course, that was too good to be true in this universe that seemed to be out to make his life miserable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He opened his mouth to reply to 3S’ words of concern when a small </span>
  <em>
    <span>ping </span>
  </em>
  <span>rang in his head. Judging by 3S’ face, he had gotten the ping too. Quickly, anxiously, 9S navigated his internal menus and pulled up the chat client with blistering speed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>ID801S: yo nines</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>ID801S: shes entering the final stages of the reboot process</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>ID801S: gonna leave the final optimization processes to you obvs</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>9S glances up at 3S, who waved him away nonchalantly. “Go ahead, my mission was to make you laugh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Standing up, 9S smiled at him. “Thanks, I appreciate it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>3S own toothy grin met his as 9S turned around to leave. “Don’t mention it. Go take care of her.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>ID9S: I’m on my way</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This chapter wasn't outlined, so sorry if the flow is kind of funky. I had too many ideas so I decided to just throw stuff at the wall to see what stuck. Happy with the results!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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